A conventional rotating apparatus using a magnet has a structure in which a passive magnet, coupled with a movable magnet by magnetic force, is rotated by the rotation of the movable magnet using a driving motor. The above-described rotating apparatus is mainly used in the case in which an output shaft of the driving motor cannot be directly connected to a driven object. For example, where an intermediate member is interposed between the output shaft of the driving motor and a rotary shaft of the rotating object, the output shaft of the motor cannot be directly connected to the rotary shaft of the rotating object using a power transmission device, such as a gear or a pulley. In such a case, the rotary force of the driving motor is transmitted to the passive magnet coupled with the movable magnet by the magnetic force by employing a rotating apparatus using a magnet, even though a nonmagnetic intermediate member, which does not affect the magnetic force, is interposed between the movable magnet and passive magnet.
Magnetic couplings such as described have been widely employed by, for example, stirring machines used in chemical laboratories, in toys, and in power transmission devices to drive machinery.
Such couplings are generally constructed such that one movable magnet connected to an output shaft of a driving motor is rotated and one passive magnet coupled to the movable magnet by magnetic force is rotated by the rotation of the movable magnet. The passive magnet is induced to rotate by the rotation of the movable magnet, in turn, driven by a motor. Accordingly, where an application requires that several passive magnets are rotated, a corresponding plurality movable magnets are required, and the plurality of movable magnets are connected to the driving motor by gears or pulleys.
The number of drive components, such as shafts, belts, gears or chains, for rotating the plural movable magnets increases in proportion to the number of the rotating objects desired. The increase of the number of drive components complicates the structure of the rotating apparatus, deteriorates assembling efficiency of the rotating apparatus, increases noise, and causes frequent defects in the rotating apparatus due to mechanical abrasion of the components. Further, the increase of the number of the above components increases loss of power due to rolling friction of the components, thereby lowering energy efficiency.